


The Absent Body

by SnK_Gospel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Acquaintances to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Trans Character, Trans Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Trans Male Character, Witchcraft, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-06-26 13:12:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15663903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnK_Gospel/pseuds/SnK_Gospel
Summary: So, a quick background and summary of this. This world is a mix of modern and mystical. there's magic, but not much of it. Hospitals and society are advanced enough for things like hormones and surgeries, but there's also a bit of cult-esque feel for a lot of this.





	1. The Beginning of the Bodies

Levi supposed he was lucky, regardless of the fact that no one here seemed to understand him. Assigned female at birth, from a very young age Levi had known he was different from the rest of his... group. He didn't know what to call them. It felt like a religious cult, but they didn't have a religion. They stuck to their own ways, and lived their own lives. Not that they were separate from the rest of society, just more excluded. So they didn't understand. It took a lot for them to start calling him a he, and use a different name. Once they did, however, it seemed to be a lot easier. Everyone was polite, he was given his own structure, separate from any of the boys or girls. All that mattered to him was they respected him. They let him go into the city and see a doctor, they let him get a prescription for testosterone. So life for him wasn't the absolute best, but things were good for him. Until that day. 

The news was devastating to everyone, everywhere. They knew of magic, as rare as it was, but this changed their perception of everything. A few users had been trying, against laws, to revive the once living. At first, they thought they had done it. The person who they had shoved their very essence into had awoken and rose up, only to turn against them. While the body may have lived, the soul was gone. The mind was rotten, and the person they had once been was long gone and dead. The magic users were bitten, and the dark magic animating the body had flowed to them, and poisoned their souls. The dark magic spread like a plague before anyone could realize exactly what to do. The Honorbound, as their group called themselves, had discovered a great opportunity amongst the chaos. People who had fled their homes and cities needed to live somewhere. And with that, the Honorbound took those people in. They fed them and gave them shelter, while in return people would toil in the fields, or go scavenge. They provided physical labor to pay off the debts of food. 

Among those people, was a man named Erwin. Broad shouldered, tall, and well built, he was found very useful. He could handle physical labor with ease, and was well mannered. He learned about their ways, and mingled among the people as if he had been there all his life. He was all smiles and laughs, uplifting the morale of everyone he could. He noticed Levi, and he knew of him. He had to, for Levi was the black sheep. He rarely ever spoke to him except in passing, but the male intrigued him. He met a few transgender people before, but he was curious. How did hormones work? How did they feel, what helped them realize that they weren't the people society expected them to be? However, he never asked these questions. He was far too afraid of offending someone out of ignorance, so he had let his questions fester in his mind, seeing the small male who had the answers almost every day. One day, he supposed, he would get his answers. For now, he would observe, and if he was lucky, figure out a few of them himself. 

After the outbreak of the dark magic, things only changed so much for Levi. Everything was terrifying now, but he knew at the very least he was safe. He worried about his hormones, knowing that one day he would run out. But for now, he had enough. So he lived his life his way, as the group had let him, as long as he could. Then one fateful day, he was called in to speak to the council. Entering the room, the grim atmosphere was painstakingly obvious. Tension could be felt crackling through the air. Levi's defenses came up, and anxiety pooled like a black ink in his gut. 

"Levi," A man began, tone firm, but also somehow apologetic. What was going on?

"We need to speak. About your.. body." another man interjected, and Levi's brows furrowed. 

the first man spoke again, and Levi's blood ran cold. "It has come to our attention that re-population will be a bit of an issue. We have asked all the woman to try to carry a child within the year. While you may not be.. a woman, your body is. This responsibility will also be given to you."

"Carry a- Absolutely not! Pixis, you've been to the doctor with me! That would cause my dysphoria to-"

"Levi, we understand," The second man cut him off. "But this is for the good of our people. If you do this deed for us, we will never ask of it again. We will let you live as you wish among us."

"But-" He tried to speak, only to be interrupted by someone else entirely. 

"He can't carry a child," Erwin said as he stood near the door. "The hormones he takes will inflict unnecessary harm to the child during pregnancy."

Levi stood in shock as Erwin spoke, silver eyes narrowing by a millimeter. This man was helping him? He barely knew him. Regardless of that, he knew he had a chance out of this. 

"Then he can stop taking them until the child has begun to grow."

Fuck, maybe he didn't have a way out.

"I propose another idea," Erwin spoke again. "You all know that hormones can cause intense flashes of rage."

 _That's proven false!_ Levi wanted to scream at the man, until cobalt blue eyes met his, and the man winked. Erwin was had a plan, but what was it? 

"Let him fight. We can use that rage when we patrol. I can watch him, and make sure everything goes according to your wishes. It would be the best use for him and his body."

The council seemed to be in stunned silence for a long while, before muttering began to fill the room. Everyone speaking to each other at once, before Pixis stood. 

"I say we vote. I think we let him fight until it is proven that there is a better use for him. all in favor?"

Hands rose around the room, and some stayed dead still in laps. After a count, and a second count, it was decided. Levi would fight, for now. They dismissed Levi and Erwin, and once out of the room, Levi confronted the taller man. 

"Why? Why did you help me with that? We've barely ever spoken."

Erwin simply looked down at him, and smiled. "My brother was transgender. I couldn't watch you have to suffer like he once did." A lie, and a bold one. He had only wanted to help the distressed man. Now, however, Erwin had dug himself into a hole. He didn't even have a brother. Instead of being pushed for details, a hand was extended towards him. 

"I'm Levi." 

"I'm Erwin, it's nice to formally meet you."

"Likewise."


	2. Different Bodies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuation you've (not) been waiting for

Erwin couldn't believe what he had just done. He had met him- the man who had the answers to the questions that burned every time he saw him. What had been simple curiosity and the want to defend the distressed male, had turned into a noble sounding lie. He didn't have a brother, and now if he asked to many questions the male would know he was lying. Why had he even stepped in in the first place? 

To protect him, it was the only thing he had felt in the moment of seeing him fight so hard for himself. While he had protected the man from what was sure to be a miserable future, he could have said anything that wouldn't get him caught in half a minute. But he did have a new mission now. He needed to become a fighter in order to protect Levi.

He waited until a few of the council members left, going in to find the man named Dot Pixis. "Sir," he said in greeting, trying to be polite. "I would also like to join the team for scavenging and fighting, if you would allow such a thing." The man eyed him up and down, before nodding. 

"You may join. However," He stared the man dead in the eye, as is staring into his soul. "I hope you don't plan on doing anything to our Levi. Levi... has fought hard to earn the respect he has today. So whatever you may have in mind, don't hurt that boy." 

Erwin blinked, but nodded slowly. "I wouldn't dream of it, I simply want to help keep others, especially him, safe." 

Pixis seemed satisfied with that answer, shooing the large blonde away. That had been much easier than he had anticipated, and it sent relief through his body. He left deep in thought, wondering if there was any other way to leave for the night. He knew they wouldn't let him willingly, no one was about to be out past dark. So he decided to wait, and sneak out. He had done this rarely before, but he needed it tonight. He needed some air, and time too think. He paced around the camp, waiting until people went back into dorms, or met up with others to sit by the fire. He found an area where no one was around, quietly climbed the wall and ran into the darkness of the night air around them. 

He wandered for what seemed to stretch on four hours, but it couldn't have been more than forty five minutes. He saw a light, and assumed another group of people from the nearby city had a camp here. He walked closer, hoping to at least greet them incase their people ever interacted. the closer he got, the more he realized that there was only one figure by that fire. It raised suspicion in his mind, and he slowed down quite a bit. after a long minute of deciding, he stepped towards the fire. He wanted to speak to them. As he approached, the figure noticed him quite easily. He was still a good distance away, but he raised an arm and waved in greeting. The figure was still for what felt like an eternity, before they stood and waved back. Erwin took this as a sign that he could approach, and began jogging towards them. The closer he got, the more startled he was by this person appearance. They had long brown hair, and thick round frames perched on their nose. 

"Hello," He exclaimed when their face was clear. "I'm sorry to disturb you this late at night. I was wandering and saw your fire. My name is Erwin Smith."

 

Erwin blinked in mild shock. They must be a magic user, if they spoke that way. But another thing was bothering him. "I would like to ask something, but I wouldn't want to be rude."

They smiled wider, and nodded. "Go ahead and ask away, Erwin."

"What are.... I mean, what do you-" He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I can't discern your gender. What should I refer to you as?" He thought that that was a respectful sentence, and he wasn't expecting laughter in return. 

"So polite! Well if you must know, I'm agender." He blinked, mouth slightly open. "Its a more specific term for nonbinary. It means I'm neither a boy nor a girl."

He was a little shocked, but he opened his mouth to try and ask another question. 

"To answer your next question, you should refer to me as 'they' or 'them' if you need to use pronouns."

Were they... anticipating his question? 

"I deal with living essence, and the mind. You already suspected me of being a magic user. But don't worry," They smiled again, offering Erwin a hand. "I can only tell what you think about me."

He couldn't lie, that was a bit of a scary ability to have. However, he shook their hand anyways. This was an opportunity. "Wait, you know things about gender if you know terms like those!"

They tilted their head, still with a small smile on their face. "Yes, I do. Are you questioning yourself?"

Erwin almost laughed, but knew that would be rude. "No, but I do have some questions. I have this-" He hesitated. What should he refer to Levi as? "-Good friend. He... He's transgender. I have so many questions, but I can't ask him."

Hange didn't press Erwin for much more than that, sitting and patting the empty space on the log next to them. "Don't fret, I'd be more than happy to help you understand these things. First of all, is he what they like to be called, or what people called them beforehand?" 

Erwin sat slowly, looking at them as if he had found a treasure trove of information. "He.. That's what he likes. He takes shots and his chest isn't.." Erwin gestured as if to speak of breasts. "I assume he's had a surgery, but I'm not sure-"

"Do you know what a binder is? A garnet that can make men like him have flat chests. Now, you probably shouldn't ask if he wears one unless he wouldn't mind." Hange wanted to tell him everything of the basics before the man could leave. 

"Oh, I didn't know they made things like that! It does sound harmful, though."

"They can be, if worn for long periods of time." 

"Well... I don't think I should ask him that yet. But, I do want to know more, please. Like.. how do people like that  _know_ that it's the way they are? How do they go about changing their bodies? Are they ever finished? And-"

Hange was smiling brightly up at him. "You're eager to learn, I like that. Most people would judge people like us for this. As for your questions... they jus know. It's a feeling that is inside them their entire lives, but sometimes it  takes people longer to understand that feeling than others. There are many surgeries, and they'll take hormones too help their body change. The surgeries do have a completion, but they are still developing. However, until the issues with the husks are cleared up, your friend won't be completing any of the surgeries anytime soon."

Erwin paused, but nodded. "That's a shame. I hope that other magic users can help those.. people. And I hope society can return to normal."

They laughed, but it was a sad laugh. "It will take a long while before that could ever happen. However, it's late. You're going to want to go sleep soon, because I know for. a fact that I'm a bit of a walk away from the nearest camp from people." 

Erwin agreed, and thanked the person for having them. He thanked them for the information, and asked if he could come see them again sometime. All he got in return was a smile, before they sent him off without answer. And as Erwin walked away, the fire suddenly died. There were no ember or sign of the person over there. Instead of worrying, Erwin felt that they would be safe. so he walked back to camp, his mind swirling with a thousand questions and emotions. And the person had been right. He needed to sleep. He needed to mull everything he had learned over. As for tomorrow... he would be seeing Levi.


	3. Body of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My other fic is (barely) more popular than my other fic. My other fic is due for an update, but I like this one more... So here's the update you didn't ask for.

Waking up in the morning, Levi felt like death incarnate. He arose feeling like time hadn't passed, but rather skipped in a mere moment. His sleep was fitful, and he was to be up earlier than he was used to today. He was to join a simple patrol to help learn about the terrain they would track every day to help guard their society. However, there was one thing that he ever so slightly looked forward to. The man that had intrigued him yesterday, Erwin. He didn't even know the man, yet he had defended Levi and his right to his body. He appreciated the man's actions, and he was going to find a way to repay him. He would have to wait until his patrol was over, however. Then he only had a short time until he was to start his daily task. Even if it was only a short period, he could use it to at least talk to the man. Thank him for his moving words, and become better acquainted with him. Not many people here would go that far as to defend him, and it would be nice to have another friend. Of course he had some friends, but not many. He would have liked to make more, but most people just didn't understand him. He couldn't talk to them about things, especially his gender. 

He shook those thoughts from his head, not wanting to think about how he felt and how others saw him. He was going to have to be on the lookout today, and pay very close attention to what he was instructed. This was going to be his new job, and he was not going to be proven incompetent lest he be forced to.. have a child. He loved children, but he never wanted to have any. The idea caused awful thoughts to swarm his head, and he needed to clear them once more before he had to leave his hut. He only had a small object that he could use to comfort him. Kept in a drawer, was a hand made locket, with a picture of his mother inside. Levi never wore it, but always kept it at home so that it would be safe. He pulled the delicate metal out of it's place of hiding, cupping the smooth pendant with his thumb. He used it like a worry stone, soothing his nerves in a matter of minutes. He set it back gently into the drawer, standing and stretching before he had to leave. He was nervous, he had only ever left their society to go into the large cities for when he had to see a doctor, or on the rare occasion they would buy materials, or sell some of their own to obtain currency. Now he was leaving, and in the most dangerous time of living in this world. Those.. living dolls out there were things he would have to kill over the next few years. 

He glanced at the clock on his nightstand, seeing that it was his time to head out. He doubled check that his living space was neat, and left. The walk was short, but enough to clear his mind as he also prepped for his day. However, as he walked up to their designated waiting spot, shock went through him. Standing where he was to meet the people for today's patrols, was Erwin. He saw Levi, and waved at him. What the hell? As far as he was aware, Erwin had always been one of the people who went into town to sell or buy things. Levi didn't know what he had been doing since the world was flipped upside down, but had never seen the man go out or return from a patrol. So as he walked up, Erwin smiled down at him, but Levi could see the bags under his eyes. What had the man been doing to wear him down so much? 

"Good morning, Levi," Erwin greeted him, and he nodded back 

"Good morning to you as well, Erwin." Levi spoke to him, staring up at the large male with curiosity.

Erwin had never even spoken to him before that day, and now they were speaking as if it was normal thing to exchange banter. However at that moment, the man in charge of their patrol cleared his throat and called for their attention. He directed for the new people, himself and Erwin, to introduce themselves. 

"My name is Levi Ackerman." Levi spoke simply, arms crossed over his chest. Everyone knew his name, but he knew the man was doing this to be polite. 

Erwin then spoke, all attention being directed to him. "My name is Erwin Smith, happy to be here."

Levi raised a brow, because it was obvious that he was just as new to this as Levi was. What had led the man to join the patrol? It certainly couldn't have been for him. 

"Now, you two have been out before, which is nice. However, neither of you have been out since the changes. So please, stick close to us. You don't have to be right next to us, just close enough that you can see what we do. Now, we have to leave in order to stay on schedule. Thank both of you very much for arriving on time."

Levi nodded to the man, not exactly wanting to say 'you're welcome'. He had done what he was told to do, and he didn't feel that the man needed to thank him for that. So as they walked out towards the main gate, Levi took a deep breath to still his nerves once more. As they left, he took in the surrounding area with a bit of shock. It wasn't that different in the outside world. it looked little more overgrown than it had been previously, but it was almost exactly the same. There were some differences, such as no smog being provided from the city near by. There was no noise from it, either. Only the sounds of birds and everything else in nature around them. A river only a half mile away, and the wind as it swept over their valley. Its was oddly peaceful, but also eerie. The world was so peaceful, but a part of him knew that's not the way he was used to it being. But he focused on the men ahead of him, watching what they did as he was instructed. As he watched them, Erwin kept pace at his side, just as silent as he was. He watched the men look around, and a few of them kept check points of any suspected movement. There wasn't much, and it was mostly written off as wild life. It was enough to begin to bore him, when Erwin spoke quietly to him. 

"Do you remember what the city looked like?" 

Levi glanced over to him, and then to the quiet buildings in the distance. "I do remember it," He said softly. 

Erwin seemed to smile, before looking off in the other direction. "And what about.. over there? Had you ever seen the other side of your encampment?"

Levi shot him a weird look, but shook his head. "I've never had any reason to go over there. Not many people have."

Erwin was quiet for only a moment, before another question had come up to him. "Have you known of anyone met with.. Well, saw any strange people?"

Levi could have laughed in that moment, only smirking faintly. "The strangest person they've ever met is me. But they accept me, so I don't take any of what they say too personally."

Erwin realized that what he said could have fucked up his progress with Levi. However, he was lucky that the male didn't seem to take what he said in offense. 

They were mostly silent for the rest of their time out there, only ever rarely speaking to their trainers for the day.

As they came back around the final few meters of their patrol, they began to break away. They knew what time to meet the next day, and Erwin and Levi had agreed to chat until Levi had to go. Erwin walked back to Levi's hut with him, and the smaller man welcomed him inside. 

"Erwin," Levi began, "I wanted to thank you for what you did for me. You didn't even know my name until one of them said it, did you?" 

Erwin nodded sheepishly, "I didn't. However, you're still human. You deserve to be treated with the same rights as all of us." 

Levi smiled soft and faint, staring down at his hands folded in his lap. "I'm glad you see it that way. I do have a question, though." 

Erwin cocked a brow at him, "And what is your question, Levi?"

"You joined the offensive guard, and today was very obviously your first day. Why did you join?"

Erwin was stunned for a long moment after the question, and he looked away from Levi. He rubbed the back of his neck gently, before he finally spoke. "I don't exactly know. I hadn't gotten a new job since being a trader. I was responsible for you joining the guard. I felt that I should join as well, seeming how I signed you up for that without consulting you further." 

Levi cocked a brow, surprised with that answer. He liked it, though. Erwin was very nice, and he was doing a lot just for Levi. "Well, I think that's very noble of you, You've done a lot for me. All because I remind you of your brother?" 

Erwin nodded, laughing awkwardly. "Not just because of that. I do believe in giving others the best opportunities that you can give them."

"Well.. Thank you." Levi said softly, standing. "You've done a lot for me. I'll make it up to you sometime. Right now I have to go, but if you're not busy with anything later, I'll be sitting at one of the smaller fires. Come find me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M PROUD OF MYSELF FOR WRITING THIS MUCH.  
> Anyways sorry if that sounds too much like bragging. I just always seem to fail in the length department.


	4. Changing his Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Erwin and Levi are gonna get a little more friendly. And the return of our favorite witch

Finding Levi was proving to be slightly more difficult than he thought. One of the smaller fires? Those we scattered from one end of the camp to the other. Though, walking all over wasn't exactly a bad thing, he just wished Levi would have given him a bit more direction than that. A wave of relief flooded him as he spotted the man at the upcoming fire, but frowned when he saw Levi was the only one. He understood that the other's didn't understand, but did hey have to make him feel like such an outcast? Of course Erwin understood that feeling, having always gotten weird looks or preposterous questions because he had joined this group instead of being born into it. 

"Levi," He greeted, sitting down on the log and smiling at the shorter male. 

"Nice of you to join me," He retorted, no real bite in his tone. 

Erwin simply smiled, stretching as he finally got to relax. "How was the rest of your day besides patrol?" 

Levi glanced at him, smiling to himself. "It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Did you do anything interesting?"

Erwin hummed softly, seeing the hint of a smile on the smaller male. It was nice to see Levi so relaxed, especially since their first interaction was not a very good one for Levi. "Interesting? Not in the slightest. Though I wonder how different our definitions of interesting are."

Levi scoffed at him, leaning back a bit to peer up at the sky. "You are very strange man, Erwin."

The blonde simply smiled, blue eyes drawn to silver. "That's not the first time I've heard that."

Levi simply smirked at him, before he was back to gazing at the stars. a silence stretched between the two, wrapping around them. Not that Erwin minded, it was comfortable. Levi did seem to be a rather quiet person, and escaping all the humdrum of the day was nice. Had they not been required to rise so early, Erwin would have loved to stay awake long into the night. He was up late as it was, sleep never found him early. 

"May I ask a personal question?" He said suddenly, looking to the smaller male. 

Levi raised a brow as he stared for a moment, then he nodded. "Only if I can ask one in turn."

"That seems only fair," Erwin smiled, leaning forward a bit. "You take your hormones, but how did you get them here? And what will you do when you run out?"

Levi was silent for a moment, a soft sigh escaping him. "I would go into the city to see the doctor to get prescribed them. A few of the people here were allowed to get medical licences. They were able to have our medicine shipped to them in certain quantities. I have a few of my injections left."

Erwin was silent for a few moments longer, already trying to think of what he could do for the male. "So others here have prescriptions. Wouldn't we eventually have to send a raiding party to try and get more of what they need? You could try and request that they bring back what they can find for you."

Levi blinked, rather surprised at Erwin's quick deduction. "While that may be true, my prescription isn't considered a priority. Quite a few people would need their medicines in order to send out a raiding party to the city. Now, my turn." A quick way to change the topic of the conversation, but Erwin let it slide. "Why aren't your brother and mother here with you?"

The question caught Erwin off guard entirely, staring for a moment. "That's simple. My mother was a very religious woman."

"Then why didn't you bring your brother with you?" Levi asked, piercing gaze feeling like it was looking right into Erwin's soul- and right through his lie.

"He and I had a falling out before I joined you all here. I never had the chance to patch things up before those living dolls became an issue." A simple enough lie, and easy to keep track of with the first one. As long as he kept them simple, and Levi didn't ask too many questions about him, he would be fine wouldn't he?

"I'm sorry to hear that," Levi said softly, staring into the fire now, hands clasped in front of him. 

Erwin dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "I don't find much use dwelling in the past." Another lie, but it didn't matter, did it? He could keep a small amount in check, even if the guilt did weigh heavy on him. Levi didn't deserve all these lies, but Erwin felt he had already dug himself too deep to come clean. 

Again the silence returned, but it felt stiffer than it had last time. Erwin looked to the smaller male, and a new question came to his mind. "Have you ever thought of leaving?"

"What?" Levi sat up, staring at Erwin like he had just grown a second head. "Leaving? I- no. I used to wonder what living in the cities would be like, but this is where I was born. Besides, leaving now would be.. crazy."

Erwin smiled, already able to see the longing in Levi's eyes. He could easily recognize that look, he had seen it in the mirror for a few years himself. "The world is pretty chaotic now, isn't it. Eventually, however, this chaos will end. Would you leave then? With how these people have tried to treat you?"

Levi was silent for a long moment, before standing. He placed his rather small hand on Erwin's shoulder, but didn't look at him. "Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know how." He turned, his expression guarded. "I really have to get going now. I'll be at this fire in the morning if you'd like to talk again."

With those parting words, Erwin watched him walk away. Levi may have called him strange, but Levi was definitely just as strange. The very thought made him smile, standing as well. Instead of returning to his bed though, Erwin did something risky. He took his time to leave the little commune, headed back into the direction of the curious person from last night. Time felt like it had stopped- or was moving far too quickly. He couldn't tell, but when the fire came into sight a wave of relief swept through his chest. Either he was crazy or this person really existed. At this point, either was fine with him. He was here in the pursuit of knowledge. he waved to the person, who smiled at him in turn. 

"You're back! I was hoping I would see you again. I didn't suspect it would be so soon, however. What brings you back?"

Erwin smiled at them, sitting down by their fire. "Well- I'm sorry i don't think I ever got you r name. I'm Er-"

"Erwin Smith, yes I know. You may called me Hange." They smiled at the larger male, enjoying the look of surprise on his face. 

"How did you- Never mind. Hange, I've come to learn more. i seem to have gotten myself in a bit of sticky situation. His name is Levi, and I lied when I shouldn't have. I was asking some questions and, well I lied more. I want to know things about transgender people, and their hormones. He's going to run out, and what happens then?"

The witch stared for a long moment, before a laugh bubbled out from them. "My my, that does seem like a bit of a sticky situation. While I would love to educate you all night, I'm afraid we don't have the time. I'll simply tell you this, when he starts to run low, come in this direction. on the edge of the city is a pharmacy. You'll find what you need behind the counter. Come at night, and come alone. You won't need a weapon, but carry one if it helps you feel safe. Carry nothing that makes noise, and use the light of dusk to get there. to get back you'll reach here, and you'll find a light. Now, you can't stay. The guards will discover you coming in if you leave any later."

That was a lot to absorb in only a minute, but he memorized the directions, repeating them in his head. The witch gave him a gentle nudge back towards his home, and he left. He hadn't gotten very far when he looked back over his shoulder. There was nothing there, no fire or tent. The person- Hange, was gone. Had they ever been there in the first place? Erwin was sure of it, so how did they disappear?

He didn't have time to investigate or dwell though, heading back as fast as he could. It turns out the witch had been right. A few minutes after he came in, guards had been patrolling the general area of his escape route. That means they had to be right about the directions for Levi's hormones, didn't it? Erwin sure hoped so.

He was going to help Levi however he could.


End file.
